Gov. Bill Ritter is expected to propose cutting state funding to public schools by as much as 6 percent in the 2010-11 budget he rolls out today.

That’s a scenario the administration has considered, though Ritter officials say the cuts are likely to be closer to a 4.4 percent, or a $250 million, net decrease in total funding given to schools compared with the current budget year.

Education groups have said the move could violate Amendment 23, which requires education funding to increase every year by at least the rate of inflation.

Ritter’s office has defended its plan to cut education funding as legal, though regrettable.

Other items in his budget, expected to be presented late in the day, could include eliminating some tax breaks and reducing salaries or benefits for state workers.

Speaking to education groups Thursday, Ritter said his 2010-11 budget proposal “will reflect a decrease — though a modest decrease” to public schools.

“It’s a cut nonetheless,” said the Democratic governor, who came into office with hopes of increasing funding for education but already has had to slash spending for colleges and universities.

Education groups said they expected the cuts but were hesitant to call them unconstitutional until after seeing how Ritter proposes to enact them.

“It depends on what they do and how they do it,” said Dan Daly, a lobbyist for the Colorado Education Association, which represents teachers.

Because so many of the state’s budget-balancing actions to deal with the more than $2 billion shortfall over the past two years have involved one-time funding sources — such as draining cash funds and using federal stimulus money — the state faces what is expected to be a $1.3 billion shortfall in the 2010-11 budget year.

That figure doesn’t take into account expected increases in the Medicaid case load and other costs that could make the shortfall larger.

“We are facing difficult challenges in trying to provide services for the people of Colorado while making sure we balance the budget and do it in a fair and equitable way,” said state Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, a member of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee.

The governor today also is expected to propose some kind of revenue-generating measures in his 2010-11 budget that could include eliminating or reducing some of the nearly $2 billion annually in tax credits and exemptions the state allows.

“If we don’t eliminate some of those credits, it’s just more money we would have to cut from education, either higher ed or K-12,” Ritter said Thursday.

But Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, a member of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, said that despite a legal opinion to the contrary, he does not think the legislature has the right to eliminate tax breaks without asking voters for permission.

“If we’re going to be cutting tax credits in order to backfill a budget that should have been cut a couple years ago, I think we should follow the legal process and go to the voters and ask for a revenue increase,” Lambert said.

Ritter’s budget proposal is a recommendation to lawmakers based upon the policy goals he has set for departments. The Joint Budget Committee will use it as they draft the budget that will be referred to lawmakers.

Ritter’s office said in August that schools could be facing a $170 million net reduction in general-fund revenue for 2010-11. However, with revenue estimates in September showing that the state’s shortfall had grown larger, the administration began to consider larger cuts of up to $350 million.

“The revenue situation has worsened,” said Todd Saliman, Ritter’s budget director. “The shortfall has gotten larger, and we have had to dig deeper into the budget.”

Lawmakers and Ritter have tried to avoid cuts to public schools during the past year as the state has grappled with dramatic revenue shortfalls. The governor has said there is no place left to cut where large amounts of money can be found except K-12 funding.

Ritter recently hinted that state workers might have to take pay or benefit reductions. More than 15,000 workers are having to take eight furlough days this year, but the savings are limited. Many state employees were exempted from the furloughs because of the critical nature of their jobs.

Pay or benefit reductions would increase savings while spreading the burden across the workforce.

Officials with Colorado WINS, a labor organization representing thousands of state employees, declined to comment on potential cuts in pay or benefits until they could see Ritter’s specific proposal.

A customer dining at Washington’s Oceanaire restaurant noticed an unusual line at the bottom of his receipt: “Due to the rising costs of doing business in this location, including costs associated with higher minimum wage rates, a 3% surcharge has been added to your total bill.”

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